Buying Clothes

[Icephoenyx]

I'm pretty tall, about 6'1" and I have trouble with clothes, because I'm also quite thin. It seems like women's clothes are made for the small and skinny or the plus size, and I'm neither. I'm only 21 and want to look fashionable. I guess I just need some general tips on buying clothes. I end up returning most of what I buy because it fits wierd, and I also have a habit of buying what is 'nice' and on sale rather than actually being rational.

Also on a budget of course, I know there is Value Village and Goodwill, but I've have some pretty bad experiences there. Nothing there is appropriate for a 21 yr old young professional. I have gotten lucky a few times, but I haven't found anything special.

Chrissi

[Shang]

I feel you there. I'm 5'10", have big thighs and hips, small waist, big chest, long arms, long legs.  Not at all the greatest combination when looking for clothes.

The first tip:

Keep looking.  It might take you hours to find one item, but it's worth it if that one item fits good. 

Second tip:

If you know how to make alterations or you know someone who will do alterations (for free, preferably) and you didn't pay a bunch of money for the clothes and they're not too far off from what fits you, you might have to do that.

And try on clothes before you buy them if you can. 

Outlet malls sometimes have a decent selection of clothes that come in a variety of sizes and generally look pretty good.

[sneakersjay]

Larger decent department stores carry a wide range of brands, with a wide range of fits.  Unfortunately more expensive.

An alternative would be to buy something that kinda sorta fits, but can be altered.  A seamstress is your best friend.  Women's clothing sizes vary a LOT and takes a huge amount of trial and error to find something that fits.

Watch some episodes of What Not To Wear.  Stacey and Clinton have good advice for choosing clothes that flatter YOUR figure, tell you how to figure that out, and also tell you how clothes may be altered to fit YOU.


Jay (who used to get hives when he had to shop in the women's department!!)

[Icephoenyx]

Yeah, fitting rooms are good, but I'm only living part time and I hate fitting rooms or staying in any one place at a given time because I'm scared I may get clocked when I am in girl mode.

[Overtime]

My ex-girlfriend in 5'8" and really skinny with a big chest. Long arms and legs, too. The women in her family shop at Vanity Fair when they get the chance because things actually fit.

The other place she swears by is Goodwill. One plus to having an uncommon bodyshape is that somebody else probably hasn't beaten you to the Goodwill-gold.

When I see evidence that the store carries my size but just sells out really quickly, I always ask when the next shipment will come in, and come back on that day. Sometimes I was wrong and that one doesn't fit either, but it's worth a try.

[Myself]

Give me 2-3 inches and we will all feel better!

[Griffin]

Yeah, fitting rooms are good, but I'm only living part time and I hate fitting rooms or staying in any one place at a given time because I'm scared I may get clocked when I am in girl mode.

Ross, Marshalls and some other outlet stores can have great stuff for you at okay prices.  I will pass on a few pieces of advice from when I was still living in girl-mode part-time.

1) It's better to have a few pieces that work well together and will last than a closet full of junk.  I'm still re-learning this one, I just love clothes too much!

2) Figure out your two best colours, one accent colour, and buy clothes with that in mind.  For most people (men and women), their base will be Black and... or White and...  because they are the easiest to match. At this point, avoid beige/brown/etc as a base colour, because they can be hard to match and pricier.  Black is your best bet for professional clothes IMO.  So if you go for black and dark purple, your bottoms will all be black with maybe one purple skirt (no purple pants).  Your jackets would be black and most of your tops would be dark purple (in many styles).  Your accessories would be in your accent colour.  (see below for picture example).

Believe it or not, this will save you money.  It maximizes the amount that you do have to spend and minimizes impulse buys.

3) Buy and wear a half-slip under skirts.  Reduces wear, snags, etc on undies, hose, and skirts.

4) Decide in advance what your upper-limit is on spending for each item.  If it seems

5) If you're transitioning in-place, then check your company's rules regarding workplace attire.

If you're looking for pants, it may be worth it to check ebay, Lane Bryant and Torrid.  Even though you're not a plus-size, they also carry clothes for very tall women.  I've found that most ladies aren't below a size 12, so if you are 12+ they will have stuff that fits you. And SALES! 

Give me 2-3 inches and we will all feel better!

Sex Joke Sucessfully Resisted.
Post Merge: July 17, 2010, 03:14:47 PM


This is the reference from the last post.  In this example of Black/Purple/White, you have 4 shirts, 2 pants, 2 skirts, and 1 Jacket (disregard shoes).  This produces 7 shirt combos (5 work-friendly), 4 bottoms (2-3 work-friendly), and enough variety for all social occasions.  Add two pairs of shoes and at retail cost this is all less than $200.  You could easily get the first three for under $100, but the jacket and shoes are the big-money items there.   I used http://mixmatchme.com to come up with the outfits.   =)

Hope this helps!

[LynnER]

When I travel to places where tall people are more common, I find clothes shopping to be quite fun... In the part of the country I live in though it is quite frustrating.

It can take me all day to find one pair of jeans that fit in my home town, going to 20+ different stores. When I visited family in ohio, I went to an outlet mall and tripled my wardrobe in less than 3hrs.

I'm just under 5ft 11in with long legs btw.

[Vanessa_yhvh]

I'm 6'4" and have been finding the whole process pretty frustrating. Today a couple of GGs who are involved with FTMs (the lot of whom are friends of mine) took me on a rescue shopping blitz. That made all the difference!